There are various benefits that you can claim for your child and yourself, these will be dependent on what your needs are. You should contact the Job-centre in the first instance to understand what you can claim for. Before doing this you should think about the type of help you need and what you need the help for. For example you may need help with personal care or for a mobility aid.

If you find it confusing to understand how to make a claim then you may want to contact the Citizens Advice Bureau or an advocacy agency or speak to a social worker. If you know someone in similar circumstances you may want to contact them as they may be able to offer you guidance on how to make claim based on their experience.Visit GOV.UK Benefits Advice helplines page

A personal budget is funding which is allocated to an individual for the help and support they need. Individuals can choose to take their personal budget, or part of it, as a direct cash payment, which they can spend on services, or if they wish they can choose to let the Council arrange the services they require.

A personal budget is the total amount of money it will cost to meet the extra individual needs of a child or young person. If your child has an EHC plan, or you are a young person with a plan, you can use part of the budget to buy some of the services set out in that plan.

The part of the budget you have control over can come from education, health and/or care services.

You don’t have to control part of your personal budget. If you are not sure whether you want to, you can talk to your special educational needs (SEN) officer, who will help you decide. He or she will do this when you write up your plan together.